Video: What is a VPN and how does it fit into your server puzzle?

You need to say something very important and very private to someone else. You're a spy, and your secret could mean life or death for millions. The security of what you're about to say cannot be compromised. You're watched, you're bugged, and every word you say is heard instantly by everyone you must evade. You need some way to communicate securely and accurately with someone in another room in another country, thousands of miles away.

What is a VPN and how does it fit into your server puzzle?

You need to say something very important and very private to someone else.You're a spy, and your secret could mean life or death for millions.The security of what you're about to say cannot be compromised.You're watched, you're bugged, and every word you say is heard instantly byeveryone you must evade.You need some way to communicate securely and accurately with someone in anotherroom in another country, thousands of miles away.

You step very carefully into a dark box about the size of an old wooden phone booth.You close the door behind you, and you're encased in darkness and silence.The sounds from the room you just left are gone. The light is gone.Everything is gone.You say your name and a password, and the box transmits a secret only the boxknows to another box in another room, thousands of miles away.

Suddenly, you're bathed in light and the sounds from that distant roomthousands of miles away.You're not there, but you see and hear and can interact with others in thatroom as if you are there.You have entered a VPN.You may not be a secret agent, you may not even be the IT guy who supportsspies, but you probably want to protect yourself from the prying eyes of hackersor other snoopers who would just love to know what you're doing.

A lot of hackers would be very happy to sniff your username and password off apublic network, so they can access your accounts later.You'd be surprised how easy it is to eavesdrop on a network.If you have ever connected to a wireless network in a coffee shop, a hotel, or alibrary, your data was exposed to every one else on that network at that time.If you logged into chat or check your e-mail or make an online purchase, yourpersonal information was probably exposed on that network.

There are only a few ways to protect yourself from the people who want tocollect your information.One of those ways is using SSL, and you may remember that we tackled thesubject of SSL in Snow Leopard Server New Features, and in Snow Leopard ServerEssential Training.But for all of your stuff that isn't or can't be protected using SSL,there's really only one black box you can step into to protect yourself, and that's a VPN.

Encryption is a cool technology, and it's been around for centuries.From Julius Caesar to the US military employing Native American code talkers tospeak in their native language to create an unbreakable code in World War II, tothe James Bond's spy novels, encryption has been in our collective culture forwhat seems like forever.Encryption is code.When you encrypt data, you wrap up something that anyone could read in awrapper that changes it.

So it cannot be read until it gets to its destination where a code can be usedto unravel the mystery of the context.This makes it readable again.When you activate a VPN, you can send all of your network traffic from yourcomputer to your VPN server in an encrypted form that can only be unrevealed by the VPN server.As a result, you can send and receive information to and from your trustednetwork without any fear of interception by the bad guys.

To prove you are who you say you are, you have to authenticate, and this processis simple and should be straightforward for any person who can use a computer.All the person must do to authenticate is enter their unique username andthe correct password.In our analogy above, the black box transmitted its own secret to anotherblack box as the final step in the process, before our hero was transported safely away.In a real VPN, at least sometimes, a shared secret must be present in additionto the authentication information to complete a secure transaction.

Sometimes the VPN server is embedded on a piece of network equipment, but OS Xserver has VPN server software included and it's really very good.So let's get into Server Admin and configure our VPN server.

There are currently no FAQs about Mac OS X Server 10.6 Snow Leopard: DNS and Network Services.

Learn by watching, listening, and doing, Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along Premium memberships include access to all exercise files in the library.

Already a member ?

Learn by watching, listening, and doing! Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along. Exercise files are available with all Premium memberships.
Learn more

Upgrade to our Annual Premium Membership today and get even more value from your lynda.com subscription:

“In a way, I feel like you are rooting for me. Like you are really invested in my experience, and want me to get as much out of these courses as possible this is the best place to start on your journey to learning new material.”— Nadine H.

Thanks for signing up.

We’ll send you a confirmation email shortly.

Sign up and receive emails about lynda.com and our online training library:

new course releases

newsletter

general communications

special notices

Here’s our privacy policy with more details about how we handle your information.

Keep up with news, tips, and latest courses with emails from lynda.com.

Sign up and receive emails about lynda.com and our online training library:

new course releases

newsletter

general communications

special notices

Here’s our privacy policy with more details about how we handle your information.